The County’s first Flood Resilience plan provides:

A clear set of recommendations and practical steps:

• to help individuals, property owners, businesses, non-governmental organizations, and government agencies across the county to improve flood resilience, and
• that augment traditional flood mitigation projects by considering programs, policies, nature-based solutions, and community capacity building.
   

The current draft definition of flood resilience consists of three components: 

• The ability of communities, infrastructure, and the natural environment to prepare for, respond during, and recover after a flood. 
• Resilience is built through an ongoing process of planning and response that takes place before, during, and after flood events. 
• Resilience requires the collaboration of governments, local organizations, and community members working together to make sure everyone has the resources and support they need.
   

The Infrastructure Resilience Team, which is developing the Flood Resilience Plan (FRP), hosted a series of meetings between August and October 2025. The meetings helped establish vulnerabilities across Harris County before, during, after, and in between flood events. 

The meetings featured:

• Small group workshops 
• Technical workshops with subject matter experts
• Public open house meetings

A survey was developed and launched to help identify opportunities to improve current solutions and guide future strategies that reflect real community needs. The survey is available in the Your Voice Matters section below.

What we heard during the meetings 
Residents across the county and representing a wide array of perspectives shared their insights, experience and priorities during the meeting. The following are some of the broad comments heard from the meetings.

Flood Impacts

• Greatest priority: Protect homes and infrastructure that provide basic needs.
• Consistent top-ranked priorities: 
  • Major regional infrastructure
  • Drainage, roads, utility improvements 
  • Better (or better known) flood warning systems and alerts

Community Preparedness

• Improved government communication during floods
• Education on flood resilience before, during, and after floods—multilingual messaging essential
• Special focus on vulnerable populations: elderly, low-income, disabled, immigrants
• Local organizations and community hubs provide shelter, aid, and trusted support

Infrastructure Strategies

• Maintenance issues to be addressed
• Flooded roads isolate communities elevated above the base flood
• Aging water systems worsen flood impacts
• Power and communications outage risks in fast-growing areas
• Upgrades, buyouts, multi-use detention
• Landfill contamination and illegal dumping are persistent issues

Other

• Preserve floodplains, riparian zones, and prairies for stormwater retention
• Renters and low-income households face recovery challenges; resilient design needed
• Evacuation and medical access critical
• Small businesses vulnerable; public-private partnerships support recovery

Initial Survey Results (through December 2025)
Residents shared their insights, experiences, and priorities through the online survey. Initial results from the survey have been shared with the Harris County Community Flood Resilience Task Force at their monthly meetings. The recorded meetings are available for playback at a convenient time, and residents can download the presentation and meeting minutes. 

Flood Resilience Plan Updates to Harris County Commissioners Court

FEB 26, 2026 Commissioners Court Transmittal
AUG 26, 2025 Commissioners Court Transmittal
 

Through its active involvement with the IRT, the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HCOHSEM) continues to advance the Flood Resilience Plan (FRP) efforts and its strategies by supporting comprehensive coordination across disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, while also leading impactful public education and outreach.

Aligned with our mission to protect lives, strengthen communities, and support recovery, HCOHSEM initiatives that enhance flood resilience and the ongoing work of partnering agencies throughout Harris County include:

• Ready Harris Alerts - This service allows you to opt-in to receive notifications via phone calls, text messaging, e-mail and more based on locations you care about. You can choose to receive notifications about events that may affect your home, workplace, school, and more. During a major event or emergency, important updates will be sent via ReadyHarris Alerts. This can include, but is not limited to, severe weather events, hazardous material emergencies, evacuation orders, and law enforcement activity. Throughout the year we will also provide seasonal preparedness tips and information to keep you informed.

• Read Harris Accessible Alerts and Accessible Preparedness and Safety Videos - Making vital emergency information inclusive and accessible to all residents. Harris County Alert subscribers in an area affected by an emergency or disaster will be able to receive an accessible alert message in American Sign Language (ASL) and English voice and text. The alert message could include information about the emergency and what actions to take. Harris County will send accessible alert messages to internet and video capable devices such as computers, mobile phones, and tablet computers. These Alerts are also Braille reader accessible.

• Community Emergency Response Team Training (CERT) and Teen CERT - Training residents to support neighbors and strengthen local capacity. In 2023, a milestone of more than 50,000 trained individuals was reached.

• ReadyHarris Kids: Kids Preparedness Activity Booklet - Intended to educate kids about different types of disasters and how to create an emergency kit. The book helps families create a communication plan, encouraging children to memorize their name, address, guardians’ names, phone numbers, and more.

• Multilingual Educational Materials (Emergency Preparedness Guide, Hurricane Brochures, Emergency Essentials Checklist), each available in 5 languages

• 2025 Harris County Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan Update - Harris County is vulnerable to many natural hazards including flooding, hurricanes, tropical storms, wildfires, and tornadoes. These hazards threaten the safety of residents and have the potential to damage property, disrupt the local economy, and impact on the quality of life of Harris County residents. While we cannot eliminate natural hazards, hazard mitigation planning identifies ways to reduce the risk of these hazards. To meet federal requirements, the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management and participating entities are updating the Harris County Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan before the current plan expires in July 2025. The information on this website is intended as a reference for our mitigation planning partners and the public. The DRAFT plan has been submitted to FEMA for their review and approval.

By keeping communities informed through timely and accurate alerts and warnings, training residents through the CERT programs, engaging youth in preparedness, and ensuring resources are accessible in multiple languages and formats, we are building a stronger foundation of resilience that reduces risk before disasters happen. HCOHSEM will continue driving forward the Flood Resilience Plan by expanding education, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring that preparedness, response, and recovery strategies meet the needs of all residents. 

While the in-person public meetings for the first phase of the Flood Resilience Plan have ended, you are invited to complete the online survey by clicking on the "Take the Survey" button below. Your input helps shape the plan and strengthens Harris County's resilience.

Take the Survey Today
Your experience with flooding in Harris County is vital to the development of the Flood Resilience Plan. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and share your experience with flooding in Harris County. 

You can sign up to receive newsletters, project updates, and upcoming meetings. Click HERE to sign up.